Mai Ngā Kuri a Wharei ki Tihirau customary  forum has evolved out of old ties that were reinvoked to serve a new modern age.

 Representing Ngāti Awa on the forum, Charlie Bluett talks about its inception, his role in it and what it has now become.

Charlie wasn’t there at the beginning of the forum. But almost. He says when he turned up, on the heels of renowned Ngāti Awa kaumatua Joe Mason, the forum to him was a commercial mechanism to discuss fisheries.

 “In those days, I didn’t think it was a customary forum as such, it was more of a commercial gathering and the people involved were representatives of particular iwi along our coastline, who would gather together with their wishes to purchase quota on the open market and then trade that for a profit. Ultimately that profit would be used for whatever they thought was appropriate.”

Charlie says, the kaumatua were adamant that if the Crown wanted to speak to individual iwi to discuss commercial opportunities, then they would need to go and have conversations directly with those groups, and that is still the position today.

However, the Crown was keen on a mechanism that would allow them to have conversations with the iwi with interests in the coastline. From that wish the forum was established.

At the time Koro Joe was the chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa. He was the third following Tā Hirini Moko Mead and Te Kei o Te Waka Merito.

Charlie says Koro Joe also became the forum’s chairman but was always aware of his responsibilities.

“Joe was in two worlds. He was in the commercial world, but he also understood his customary responsibilities. But he made sure that in this space he wore his customary hat, and he never crossed that line.

“That is why I never talk about what Ngāti Awa are doing at a commercial level at the table because it is none of anyone else’s business, and I dare say the other iwi will feel the same about theirs.

Purpose and Role of the Forum

 Mai Ngā Kurī a Wharei ki Tihirau Fisheries Forum was established by the iwi and hapū who occupy the Bay of Plenty Coast between Waiōroro Stream near to Waihi Beach in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Tangata whenua descend from the Mataatua, Te Arawa, Horouta, Tainui and Tākitimu waka; and continue to wish to exercise tino rangatiratanga over their resources in this region.

As a result, a Memorandum of Understanding was reached with the Sovereign right of New Zealand acting by and through the Deputy Director General of Tini a Tangaroa, Fisheries New Zealand and Ministry for Primary Industries, (Manatū Ahu Matua).

The purpose of the memorandum is to promote a collaborative working relationship between the Tangata Whenua of the area and Tini a Tangaroa for the region’s fisheries.